In this installment of the Swing By Gerald we will be covering Lag. Some of you might be wondering what is Lag, others might know what it is, but have no idea how to achieve it. I would say, read my first 3 blog posts first - then come back to this one. Without understanding what to do before you start the downswing it is very difficult to even think about creating any lag.

Lag is the angle created between the arms and club on the downswing, and it is essential in creating distance, no angle = no distance. If there was a secret to Hogan's swing it was Lag, he created more Lag than any player of his era and maybe the most of all time, which is why he was such a dominant force in golf even though he could barely walk 18 holes.

​How To Create Lag:

Most modern players have a good amount of lag, the only player that really comes close to Hogan is Sergio, and that's probably why he has been the best ball striker on tour almost 20 years now. If you watch Sergio's swing you can see at the top of his swing he does not have a tremendous amount of hinge, but as soon as he starts his downswing he goes from 90 degrees to 150 degrees of hinge very quickly. The key is not actually trying to create lag, but letting it happen.

Your hands need to be inactive enough during the backswing and the downswing, that gravity and change of direction allow the lag to be created. We see all kinds of drill that have you pre-hinge, and try to keep that angle both back and through. I have found after numerous attempts to teach it, that method does not actually work, all it does is create tension and kill any lag you could achieve.

The best way to learn it is with a heavy club, turn back with no hinge and really relaxed hands, then start you downswing and allow the club to hinge as you turn through. The heavy club will help your hands understand the lag and feel the club stay behind as you turn through. The following video is a good drill to practice with a heavy club, exaggerating the softness in your hands, the turn through, and leaving the club behind.

​Why?

There are several reasons to create the Lag, the biggest one is distance, but when you have Lag you also have a lot more consistency. The reason there is more distance and consistency is because Lag helps flex the shaft of the club properly, which in turn helps it release properly. When you watch the pros, they hit is so clean all the time because there shaft is releasing at the moment of impact, so they are at max speed at impact. Most amateurs release the club from the top of their swing, their club is actually slowing down at impact.

Another big piece of the Lag, flexing of the club and release point is loft, I won't get into Dynamic Loft and Spin Loft yet, but loft is taken off or normalized when there is Lag. Most amateurs add loft to their clubs: Example - if your 7 iron is measured at 34 degrees of loft and you add loft at the bottom by not having lag, your 7 iron hits the ball at 40+ degrees of loft, essentially making it a 9 iron. A Tour Player will take that same 34 degrees and make it 28 degrees at impact, in essence hitting the ball 36+ yards further than an amateur without changing speed.

Do's and Don'ts!

Do Not's:

Do not over hinge in the backswing to try and create lag.

Do not set your hinge early on the way up and try to keep it on the way down.

Do not grip the club tight

Do not only use arms, let your body help

Do not try to help the ball up

Do's:

Do relax your hands and body.

Do let the club and arms follow the rotation of your body.

Do let momentum create your hinge.

Do let change of direction create your lag

Do let the release of the club happen naturally

The first video is the do not swing, and the second will be the do swing.

​Conclusion

Lag is an integral piece to help you create both distance and consistency. Learn how to take the control away from your hands and trust that momentum and gravity will help you control the golf ball better than your hands.

Stay relaxed with your hands and let the club follow your body, both back and through impact. Your hands can take over once you feel the club catch on the way down, preferably after your hands pass the ball.

In this weeks installment of The Swing By Gerald we are covering the arms and the many positions that are possible during the backswing. The arms are important because they are your only connection to the golf club itself. Proper arm work can make your swing much more efficient and allow you to create more power with your legs (see last weeks blog for the lower body).

When you watch the golf on TV you will see a huge variety of arms motion during the backswing and at the top of the swing. John Rahm, DJ, Brooks, Daniel Berger, and G-Mac are examples of players that have a bowed or flexed left wrist at the top. Tiger, Adam Scott, Jason Day, and Justin Thomas are players that I would consider having a flat wrist at the top. Zach Johnson, Henrik Stenson, and Nick Watney I would consider cuppy or extended at the top. All of these players, except maybe Zach Johnson, hit it prodigious distances with both irons and drivers, Zach hits it far for the lay man, but not for a tour player.

The questions I get a lot are "What should my wrist look like at the top?" - "Does the wrist position really matter?" - "Why do my arms bend so much?". The answers are wide ranging and depend on many factors, the include; grip at address, wrist strength, overall flexibility, and most of all what do you want the ball to do. I will try to share some insight into some of these things for you today.​

Width​

To understand the wrist positions you first have to understand width. Width would be the distance between your hands and your body/head during your swing. Theoretically the more width you have, the bigger your swing are will be, and the more power you will create. That's not always and absolute, but is more than likely going to be the case for most players.​

In the picture above the player on the left has a lot of width and the player on the right has no width. Notice the space between the hands and the head on the left, I see a lot more of the swing on the right than I do the one on the left. The other thing I want you to notice is the speed and distance number on the below the swings, the one on the left will create much more speed and hit it a lot more solid than the one on the left, you can tell by the smash factor number.

Keep your hands as far from your chest and head as you body will allow, at all times! The biggest reason people tend to break their arms down at the top is because of hinge, or trying to hinge too much at the top. The other factor is just a lack of body awareness, most people don't even know they break down until they see it on video.​

Hinge​

The second factor in arm position is the hinge itself. While most tour players have a lot of hinge or lag on the way down, that's not always the case at the top of their swing. Someone like Steve Stricker has very little hinge at the top, even Tiger does not have as much hinge as a guy like Zach Johnson. Zach and Steve would be on the shorter end of distance, Tiger is somewhere between them on hinge, but hits it way further then either one of them. Hinge is definitely one of the factors in Tiger hitting it further than them, but is not the only factor.​

On the left we have the same swing as the earlier picture, I would consider this golfer to have the correct amount of hinge. The right side golfer has too much hinge, and will have a harder time recovering to hit it solid on the way down. Both of these swings were comfortable swings for me to make as I am a recovering over-hinger. I actually created more club speed on the right, but had more ball speed and more solid contact on the left, hence more distance.

I would also like to tell you how hinge affects ball flight, but I can't. In amateurs over-hingers tend to hit more fades and have more chunks, but in professionals it seems to go the other way with hooks and thin shots. I teach it on a case by case basis, and add or take away hinge based on the player in front of me, how they grip the club, what their hand strength might be, and how much width they create.

John Rahm and Steve Stricker are the two guys I can think of that have very little hinge at the top, John hammers it, and Steve hits it about average. In their case lag is the determining factor, John gets hinge, but it's on the way down, and Steve keeps the same angle throughout most of his swing.

Zach Johnson and Bubba Watson are the two guy I can think that have a lot of hinge at the top, Zach hit's it shorter and Bubba bombs it. So, it goes to show that, it's not always a determining factor at the top.​

To Flex or Not to Flex!​

This is probably one of the most asked about, least debated parts of the golf swing. I believe that every golfer is different, they have different hand strengths, different flexibility, different athletic ability, different body awareness. However, other than beginner's, I rarely see someone that has a flexed/bowed left wrist at the top not hit it far and consistent at the same time. Take DJ, Brooks, Berger, Hovland, Woodland, Champ, they all hit it forever and they all have a bowed left wrist. Whereas Zach, Fred Funk, Corey Pavin, Matt Kuchar are some cuppers and some of the shortest hitters on tour.

The question I pose is what do you want to do? If you want to hit it really far I would probably suggest the flex/bow; if you want more control but not to hit it anywhere I would suggest some cup/extension; if you want both distance and control I would say make your wrist flat/neutral or just a little bit of cup or bow. Let's take a look at some visuals so you understand what I'm talking about.​

Here we have the cup/extended left wrist. This is what you would see from Zach Johnson, Henrik Stenson, Corey Pavin, Nick Watney. Look at the angle between my left wrist and forearm, that is the cup/extension. When an amateur make this motion, they tend to get the clubface open at the top, and will typically have a flip at the bottom of their swing, I will suggest fixing this early in a lesson program if it affects your distance.

Hogan used this move to help him get rid of his hook and went on the win 9 majors, so it can be helpful, but not always recommended.

This picture is the bowed/flexed left wrist at the top of the swing. I personally can not hit a ball with a bowed left wrist, and quite frankly it hurts like hell also. Being a recovering cupper, this move is extremely difficult for me to attain, but I can't argue with the results I see in lessons and on tour. I've seen people gain 30-40 yards when they learned how to bow their wrist, they still had to turn through, but this move takes a lot of loft off of the club at impact. The cup adds loft, the bow takes it away.

When someone with a bow gets too impact they almost always have the handle leaning forward at impact, unlike the cupper who will tend to have the handle behind the ball at impact. That is important because it helps change the attack angle, the low point and how you compress the ball. I'm not saying that everyone should do this in their swing, but it is hard to argue with the results.

This would be the flat/neutral wrist position at the top. I personally try to achieve this position because I get a little advantage of loft like the bow, but the control of a cup. This is the most common position you will see on tour, ala Tiger, JD, JT. This is the position I will try to get most of my students in because it's is almost the best of both worlds.

From this position you can generate a good amount of power, and because you don't manipulate or move the wrist position a lot you also get a lot of control. This is the down the line view from the swing we looked at earlier with a lot of width also. When I'm warmed up, and actually paying attention to what I'm doing, I will typically hit a 7 iron about 185 yards with this swing, which isn't bad for a broken 42 year old body that doesn't practice.

The other thing I like about this position, you don't have to make a big swing change to hit a draw or fade, and it's very easy to control trajectory also. This would be my recommended position for most players.​

Closing​

To surmise, I believe there is more than one way to skin a cat, sorry for the pun! There are keys to making your swing work, and once you combine a good wrist position with a strong leg position at the top, good things happen at the bottom. No everyone, myself included, can make their wrist and arms get in the same position as DJ or Brooks, but they can probably get in the same position as me or Tiger. If you can find a good combination of width, hinge, and wrist position you will be a very successful player regardless of where you start.

If you would like to learn what you do during your swing, book a lesson with us at ROK or email me at gerald.haynes@rokgolf.com.

Today I will be covering the lower body and the role the legs have in your golf swing. The first thing is understanding that your legs are your foundation, and just like your house, the foundation keeps your swing in tact.

When we go through the history of golf and see all the swings that are well known through the years, there is really a mixed bag of leg motions to look at. From Bobby Jones with his active legs, to Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus with their less active legs, to Tiger Woods and most modern golfers with their inactive and braced legs.

When talking about the legs I'm really referring to the backswing and the motion of the legs going back. Bobby Jones played with hickory shafts for the most part so having a lot of activity was not always a bad thing. Tiger plays with precision matched shafts that have very little play in them, so the more he moves his legs the harder it is to time up with the shaft.

Let's take a look at some swings and see some things that we see in here and one that is more how it should be!​

The Hip Sway

​

​

This is a move that we see quite often as instructors. I see this a lot with people that are left eye dominant, and people that are trying to create more power because they either read it somewhere or someone told them to get more weight into their right side to create power. They often times have a severely bent left arm at the top, taking away any width they could you to create power.

What happens when you have a big sway like this, is you take away any consistency that you may have had when you started. You will hit a lot of fat and thin balls and put a lot of pressure on your back and knees. This player will also tend to hit a lot of slices and pull hooks because the swing plane will usually be very outside-in.

The Fix:

Try to anchor your left hip over your left ankle and use your upper body to create your backswing. You can practice in your house or office by anchoring your hip against a counter top or desk and turn away from it with your upper body. Also, try to lean your upper body slightly away from your left hip at address, so your head and eyes get behind the ball, you can see I actually have a little bit of that lean in the video. This will create a center that your upper body can rotate around.​

The Knee Dip

Related to the Hip Sway, the knee dip is something we don't see quite as often as the sway, but is also relatively common. Same as the sway this player is trying to create more power by getting the weight into the right side, but they are trying to use the ground and their legs more than the swayer.

The most common miss for this player is going to be a fat shot or a top. They get so low on the way back that they will tend to pop-up at impact and either hit it fat or top it. Often they also hit low hooks as a result.

The Fix:

Put a ball, like a basketball or a kick ball, between your knees and try to keep it stable. This will give you a center to turn around. This player doesn't typically have much shoulder turn either, so that will more than likely have to be the next piece after your knees stabilize. ​

Mr. Straight Legs

Here is the opposite of the first two swings we looked at. This player is not using the ground at all and using their upper body and arms to create all the power during the swing. They will not it it far, they will hit a lot of topped shots, and their back will be very sore after they play golf. We see this more with Senior, Juniors and Beginners than anyone else.

The Fix:

SIT DOWN! Get a bar stool or a tall chair and hit balls sitting on the chair. Though you still won't create a lot of power on a chair, you can still get the sensation of being lower during your swing. You will feel like you're sitting on the toilet the first few swings after you learn how to bend the legs.​

Center Swing

Having had a similar motion to this in my early years, this player can be somewhat successful. However, the amount of strain that it puts on your body can also be tremendous, especially if you have knee or back problems. When making this swing I was incredibly inconsistent, which combined with the knee and back problems I was suffering, is why I changed it. I, also was not sure how to get back through the ball at the time, but not being a fan of post round icing I decided to go another way.

The reason you would maybe teach this to someone is because they were a previous swayer, or your trying to help some get more turn in their backswing. This player can typically hit the ball very solid and consistently, because their center of gravity doesn't change during the backswing. The problem with it is, that it is not athletic, and as the club gets longer you will have a hard time creating power. You can get a ton of turn back, but it can be very difficult for an average player to get the hips and body back to impact.

With this motion you will be able to hit a consistent draw, but your miss will be a big block and snap hooks with longer clubs. Much like the knee dip, you will have to come back up at impact.

The Fix:

Go right back to a ball between the knees, but try to keep the knees level as you swing. Also, you can try to keep your center, but let that center be slightly behind the ball.​

The Pro

​This is what I'm looking for in a swing, this is what I see most on tour, and will be the most consistent with every club in your bag. There is a slight bend in the knees at address, enough that you can feel the ground with your feet and maybe even dig in just a little bit with your fee.

​During the backswing the hips rotate, but the hips and knee relationship stays consistent through the backswing. The left hip stays anchored, and the left knee will move very little as you rotate back. Because your legs have stayed stable you will be creating coil in your glutes and quads, creating power to unleash on the downswing. It is also easier to drive through with your legs because you there hasn't been any drastic moves with them going back.

I believe the average golf has about 90 degrees of hip turn available to them from address to impact. So, if we can get 45 degrees of turn back, you will have 45 degrees left to use at impact. Unlike the other examples that either had too much turn back or not enough, we are trying to balance out the swing and not overuse your energy going back.

Having back and knee injuries from the military, I've learned how to use this leg motion to take away any pain I use to have using the other methods, and believe me, I have tried everything! You won't see it in the numbers for this swing, but I still play a 7 iron at 185 and hit the driver close to 300 yards consistently, so I can still create a lot of power without making dramatic moves going back. ​

Closing

I believe the legs are the key to creating both power and consistency. Once you get in a good address position, your legs are the foundation of your entire swing, they will dictate what your body and arms do the rest of your swing. If your legs work properly it will take a lot of pressure off of your arms during your swing, they just have to follow your legs around. Good legs also make it easier to time your swing, and keep your tempo consistent.

I will not say that you can't be successful with the other methods, but it will be a lot easier if you have a good foundation to start with, and your body will thank you! Next time you watch golf on TV, pay attention to their legs during their backswing. If you would like to learn what you do during your swing, setup a lesson and we will get it fixed - gerald.haynes@rokgolf.com.​

Hello fellow ROK Golfer's! Over the course of the next few weeks I will be doing a weekly post on the golf swing. This will be the introduction to that series and my introduction to all of you. I know most of you see me at the Brodie Oaks location, but probably don't know my background or history with this game we love so much. Here is a link to my profile if you want to take a look at it: http://www.rokgolf.com/gerald-haynes.html

​Over the course of my teaching career I've done extensive work with high speed video, body motion sensors, and have worked with a lot of elite golfers, and even more stuggling golfers that were either not improving or getting worse. I believe every person that plays golf has the ability to be a good player, if they allow themselves to do so. There is nothing more satisfying, as a coach, than seeing someone go from a 20+ handicap to breaking 80 for the first time.

Let's get this started and hopefully you can learn something along the way. I will cover the things I see a lot and the things you should be doing to help you improve. This week we are starting at the beginning!

​Address:

This week will be all about the address position! I know some of you are thinking, "What does setting up to the ball have to do with how I play?"

My answer would be - EVERYTHING!

If you setup incorrectly, you have to use the rest of your golf swing to make up for the improper setup!

Bad results will more often come from a bad address than a bad swing. If your address position is bad and has been bad for a long time your swing will reflect that bad address.​The address position is the only static position in the golf swing, so everyone that is able, should theoretically be able to get in the correct position withdout much effort. Here are some things that I see people doing consistently.​

The Desk Jockey!

The following image is what I call the desk jockey! This is what we see a lot of, a golfer that spends more time on a phone or computer than with a club in their hands, and has really become what we see a lot in modern golfers. This golfer likes to hit low, weak fades, because they really don't have a lot of core muscles used in their swing. I see this guy a lot, they always want to hit it further, they always want to hit a draw, and they concentrate so hard on keeping their head down they can never turn their shoulders, and end up having a very handsy swing.

When you look at the front view on the right, you can see the lines for the grip, each hand points to the outside of the corresponding shoulder. Also, the upper body leans to the left, something I see a lot! Both of the things in this view lead to fat shots and slices. The shoulders and hips also point left, which leads to a more out-to-in swing path.

If you want to hit it short, hit a lot of fat shots, and hit nothing but snap hooks and fades, you should setup like this! I actually don't mind if someone has low hands and are slouchy with their back - if their upper body leans to the right at address, and they have a good grip, a-la Jack Nicklaus. This golfer is so relaxed that they can sometimes they can produce tremendous club speed. I don't recommend trying it, this exact setup will not generate many good results.

The Too Good Golfer!

I love this guy! He probably took a Stack and Tilt lesson somewhere, or read something in Golf Digest about having good posture and keeping your weight on the left leg at address. He is trying to be perfect, but has over-perfected it!

The big things I want you to see here are the hips on the left and the lean/feet on the right. When you get your belt buckle pointed toward the ball, like the left picture, it causes a lot of tension in your back. Think about guys on tour with back problems, Tiger Woods, Justin Rose, Hunter Mahan, Jason Day, Si-Woo Kim, all of these players have or have had that hip position at address and all have suffered from back problems because of it.

Things that we see with this setup are, a big hip sway or a lot of excessive leg movement to try and generate turn in the backswing. The person trying this setup is trying to be athletic, but it becomes the opposite of athletic because of the tension caused in the lower back. They will also hit a lot of fat shots, and typically hit it short, the pros figure out how to hit it far, but the rest of us don't hit enough balls to figure it out from here.

The Slugger!

Strong grip, wide stance, can either be a combination of the first two pictures. This golfer wants to hit it far! They tend to have a really strong grip, and they are trying to generate power with that big, wide stance. They also tend to get a lot of weight on their heels and have a similar lower back to The Too Good Golfer.

Because of the stance width this player will have issues driving through the ball and shifting through impact, because of the width of their stance. They can typically rotate really well because of the base, but might run into some back issues as well because of the posture. Look for some big hooks and a really high ball flight from this player.

This one is almost athletic and can probably hit it relatively far most of the time, but will usually not know where it's going. This golfer is usually very good at flop shots as well!

​The Pro!

We could go through different setup's all day and show good and bad of each of them. The examples I've shown so far are the three things I see the most.

The ideal or professional setup is what we see below. Weight over the ankles, chin up, back straight/but not tense, hips neutral, both V's from your hands pointing to the right shoulder, feet hips width apart, slight lean right with the upper body, hips and shoulders square or slightly closed to the target, and probably most important that you can not see in a picture, is relaxed.

From this position I can do whatever I want! I can hit fades and draws, high or low, long or short. This is also a very balanced position, not putting too much stress on one body part, but allowing everything to work together.

Having the upper body tilted slightly behind the ball creates space in front of the ball to push the handle through impact and allows me to drive through the ball, out to my target. I can also just rotate my head to see my target without losing my posture. With the first two picture you would have to come completely out of your posture to see your target, which is why golfers that setup that way tend not to look and see where they want to go.

During a lesson I almost always have a key at setup for someone to work on, because it is a static position. The problem we run into as coaches, is that golfers could care less about address and think it doesn't affect their game, so we end up giving the student what they want and working on the swing. We need to do a better job of working on address and explaining to the student that address affects everything else.

Practicing Address

Address is the easiest position to practice in a golf swing. I think every golf should practice getting into an address position 50-100 times a day, using a phone or a mirror. You don't even need a club, you can practice with your hands together or holding a pen.

If you get in the proper posture over and over again it becomes natural and you don't have to think about it on the course. It takes about 10 minutes to get into the correct posture 50 times. The first couple times really pay attention to the posture, stay there for 10-15 seconds so you can feel where your weight is, what muscles you're using and check it in the mirror. Close your eyes after to get in the correct spot so you can really feel the spot.

After the first 5 deliberate setups, do it faster and faster as your body adjusts. If your setup is good, it is a lot easier to fix the rest! Learn the proper address, and next week we will start the swing! If you need to book a lesson or just need a little tune up send me an email - gerald.haynes@rokgolf.com.

( In your best Carrie Bradshaw head voice with, of course, the Sex in the City tune in the background )

Has my INDOOR practice improved my OUTDOOR game?

For a very long time it had been difficult to answer those questions. Simply, I have not had spent enough time on the golf course to know (starting a business while starting a family... not recommended).

However, now that I have some staff at ROK Golf and the kiddo is almost a year old, I have found my way to the golf course a few times and I have the answer: YES!

Answer: Not only has my indoor practice improved my outdoor game… it has transformed it!

I AM JACK's BOGEY GOLF GAME

Before starting ROK Golf I was a typical mid-level golfer.

85 was a good round, 90 was typical, 95 was poor but happened more frequently then I care to admit (I also play the majority of my golf on a very difficult golf course, Barton Creek, that punishes big misses off the tee severely... so I am a bit better than those numbers describe). Like most non-professionals, I played 98% of the time vs. 2% practice (most of which was before a round). Also like most non-professionals... I was not getting better, if anything I was getting worse and more frustrated.

Why so little practice?

Schedule, weather, inconvenience, annoying bugs, access to a good range, family duties, work... all of the reason you likely don't practice (Hint: This is why I created ROK Golf, but more on that in another blog).

In a typical round I would hit some great shots... and some terrible shots. Sometimes I would hit 2 decent shots in row and make a birdie! Unfortunately at my home courses bad shots punish you more than good shots reward you... and my typical score reflected that reality.

I was beginning to lose hope that I would ever be anything but the golfer I was... the dreaded "bogey golfer".

Then I opened ROK Golf... and hope made a Tiger like comeback!

SIGNS of change

There were hints to my improvement in November 2018 when I qualified for and played in my club’s “Ryder Cup” known as the Barton Creek Cup.

I was in the not so prestigious C-Flight.

I played 3 matches in the event, 2 with a teammate and 1 individually. My partner and I tied our first match and won the second. My solo match was a bit different. I dominated on my way to a 7&6 victory (and it should have been 8&7 to be honest). I was probably 2 over after 12 holes in tournament conditions under tournament pressure.

I struck the ball better than I ever have, I could have easily been under par except for one terrible decision and mediocre putting at best. Most encouraging was my long tee game which was solid instead of my usual 3 to 5 holes where I end up "hitting 3" of the tee via OB or lost ball. It doesn't help that Barton Creek does not have a single "safe spot" off any tee on any hole.

While my swing and ball striking were awesome and I was excited, match play is different, and it was hard to quantify the true level of improvement.

Judgement was reserved.

burn it in - off season practice

During the peak indoor golf season (aka traditional golf off-season) of November through March I focused on the growing the business and taking time for the new family leaving little time for traditional golf.

Try to find 6 hours for a round while working 7 days a week and having an infant at home! Another reason I started ROK Golf. I knew I was not the only one with that challenging of a schedule.

However, my indoor training continued, and I hit 1000’s of balls on Trackman in ROK Golf while stealing the occasional tip from our two excellent pros, Dan Suedbeck and Gerald Haynes. One of the most critical things for me... the additions of front view cameras to ALL of our bays... Game Changer!

The ability to see, feel and quantify the flaws in your swing through the technology in our bays combined with tips from our experienced staff creates an unparalleled opportunity for improvement.

The flaws revealed by the front view camera changed everything for me. I spent the winter working hard on eliminating those flaws; most of which I was able to significantly improve or eliminate.

​I saw and felt the change happening... in my numbers and on the videos of my swings and on my virtual golf rounds. I was striking the ball exceptionally (for me) and much more consistently. My confidence was growing.

But would it transfer to outside?

Back to the course

Mid-April marked my return to outdoor golf via a charity tournament at UT Golf Club and the member-guest tournament at Barton Creek Fazio Foothills known as the DKR.

Following those events, and a few other rounds I was able to sneak in, I had the answer to the question I was often asked.

Has the indoor training helped my outdoor game?

ABSOLUTELY!!!

I am a new golfer. A different golfer. A far better golfer.

I will not go into the details of each round, but my ball striking and tee game over those events was drastically improved, incredible for me.

No… I am not a 0, or even a 3 or 4 (yet!).

And yes, I had some bad streaks in there where I reverted to the old me bit, but it was the exception, not the norm.

I am a 9.0 presently down from a 10 or 11 before I started ROK Golf.

I have only carded 3 rounds since my “transformation” so the index will take some time to come down, but the person on the course is night and day.

Those 3 rounds are an 82 and 85 at Barton Creek Fazio Foothills and an 89 from the tips at Austin Country Club just before the WGC Dell Matchplay. Most of my rounds have been in tournaments with some flavor of scramble.

The difference between my old and new game is profound.

Knowing you will make the swing you want vs. hoping that the swing you make was the one you wanted.

Knowing what will happen when you hit the ball purely (KNOW YOUR GAME).

The satisfaction of seeing, hearing and feeling pure shots.

Having ability and confidence to play offensively off the tee and attack pins effectively jettisoning the defensive mindset of old.

Drastically improved tee game yielding more opportunities to attack with scoring clubs instead of recover and scramble.

Possessing a far better 60-120 yard game improved after hitting 1000's of wedges on Trackman each detailing my club head speed, launch, spin, carry, trajectory, etc.

Making more birdies and pars because you are getting the ball closer to the hole in regulation more frequently!

Expecting to hit fairways and greens... instead of hoping to hit fairways and greens.

Tightening up my dispersion both left and right and distance. My bad swings now stay in play where bad swings before would be out of play.

Golf is different and much more fun now. The pleasure of hearing "wow" from your playing partners more than "rut roh" as your ball heads towards someones roof or pool.

​Has ROK Golf helped my outdoor game?

The answer is YES, 100%!

The hard work, 1000’s of informed swings and tips from Dan and Gerald at ROK Golf have transformed my swing and game.

My swing, nor game, is perfect. It never will be (that is golf). I still revert to an “old” swing or mentality a few shots a round and make poor decisions forgetting that I am the new me, not the old me. But that will change!

Soon the transformation will be complete as I put more time in on the course this season.

I was a 10 index that has never broken 80 before I started ROK Golf.

NOT FOR LONG!

THE RESULTS Flew IN ON A BIG BIG BIRD

The last hole I played before writing this article...

May 22, 2019Fazio Foothills #18 - Par 5 - 550 Yards

I hit a good drive down the right side. I avoided the pond left but was a bit blocked out by trees.

I had about 230 to the pin and 208 to cover the canyon in front of the green. The green is about 40' up and on this day there was a cross wind with a good bit of hurt.

I couldn't get my 4-iron there, so I pulled the 5-wood which with the wind and elevation should have been a great number. I made a great swing and flushed it, dead on my line, boring through the wind. We didn't see it come down but I figured I would have a decent look at eagle.

As we drove up to the green I was disappointed when I didn’t see ball.

The last 5-wood I hit into the green did not go well, I blew it 40 yards over the green after not realizing I was dead downwind. That memory was fresh so I thought I was long.

After a few minutes I couldn't find it and said "oh well, let's go. I will take an X." I was not going to drive all the way back and hit another when there were people behind us and it was the last hole.

My friend went down to the green to hit his putt and said "dude, there is a big ball mark right here (about 15' in front of the pin)" he scurried over to the hole and looked up at me, I knew it right then but walked over, looked down and there was my Bridgestone B330 in the cup!

My last shot was a holed out 5-wood from 230 40' uphill over trees a little into the wind... for an albatross. ​​Has my game improved?

By Dan Suedbeck

I get asked this question more than any other when it comes to people wanting to improve their swing.

What are the ideal numbers?

My response 9 times out of 10 is... "It depends!"

There are a lot of factors that come into play when we are talking about ideal. The first place I start is with a person's goals. Some people have a goal to hit high draws, others are ok with fades, and some just want to get it airborne. Ideal is going to look a lot different for those three players.

Then you take a look a person's physical and athletic ability and combine that with their golf history and all of that plays into what ideal will look like.

A person with medium athletic and physical abilities that has hit a "power fade" their entire life is unlikely to make a quick shift to hitting draws. Therefore, ideal for them might just be getting their path and face numbers closer to zero and increasing their smash factor a little bit.

An athletic player that isn't constrained by any physical limitations that has only been playing golf for a couple of years can move their numbers much faster.

Let's break things down a bit though to give you an idea of what you can work towards. I would break things down into a few different categories:

There are additional numbers that Trackman calculates that can be extremely valuable for other aspects of training and knowing your game... we will address those in another blog.

Swing Speed & Efficiency

This category reveals the key metrics behind how far a person can potentially hit a golf ball and if that potential is being reached.

The two main factors in maximizing distance are how fast the club is moving when it hits the ball (club speed) and how purely you strike the ball (smash factor).

You can have 94 mph club head speed with a 7-iron but if your smash is 1.25 the guy with 85 mph club head speed and 1.40 smash will have higher ball speed and likely better spin meaning the ball with carry further.

If you are constantly hitting the ball pure (maximum smash factor), the only way to significantly increase distance (assuming the same equipment) is by increasing club speed.

Due to restrictions on how well a golf club and ball can perform, i.e. coefficient of restitution or COR, you are going to max out distance at some point if launch conditions are optimized. So club speed is the one thing that will be the driver behind gaining more distance.

What's ideal? This comes down to a couple things, physical strength, flexibility and technique. A limber person that can squat 300 lbs and bench press 250 has more potential than a stiff person who struggles to pickup their 30 lb grandson off the floor. What is lacking in strength and/or flexiblity can often times be made up for in technique.

Key Point: Technique is king and will help you get the most out of your swing.

The main thing with technique is a thing called kinematic sequencing. This has to do with how a person's body coils and uncoils thus producing speed. The proper uncoiling of the body for maximum speed starts with the lower body releasing or turning towards the target, then torso, then arms, then hands and finally all of that energy is delivered down the club shaft to the head. Look for more info on this in the future.

​The other part of speed comes down to efficiency. Meaning did we transfer all of the energy from the club to the golf ball. TrackMan's term for this is Smash Factor. Smash Factor is a player's ball speed divided by club head speed. The range here for solidly hit golf balls will vary from the low 1.2's in your wedges up to 1.5 for the driver.

The main way to maximize your ball speed is to squarely hit the golf ball in the center of the club face. Just having the ball contact the "sweet spot" is not enough... you must hit the "sweet spot" the right way!

Illustration: What hurts more... taking a playful punch from your kiddo square in the chest or a glancing blow on the leg? The shot square in the chest even if the two punches were just at hard! Same with striking a golf ball. If the club is "slicing" across the ball one directon or the other that glancing contact creates energy draining spin instead of speed.

The design of the golf club also has an impact on smash factor. Blades, muscle backs, cavity backs, game improvement thin faced, perimeter weighted... all have a maximum. We will post another blog on this later as it is a huge topic in and of itself. The important thing when training at ROK is to understand the maximum for the club you are working with so you are not discouraged.

Example: Brian, ROK's founder, practices with two sets of clubs. Srixon Z-745's and Mizuno MP-67's. With a 7 iron he can achieve the same club head speed with both, but with the Srixon's he can get his 7 iron smash up to 1.4. With the Mizuno's he tops out around 1.34. That ends up being about 13 yards of carry difference.

Shot shape (draw vs. fade) also influences smash factor. A draw club path and face angle has the potential for higher Smash Factor over a fade swing because the club is de-lofted and the ball is "trapped" with a draw swing.

Lastly, it is critical to understand how a golf club is designed to strike a golf ball. Irons, for instance, need forward shaft lean in order for the ball impact the center of the club. If the shaft is vertical at impact (talking to you flippers) the ball strikes the club low on the face and will never achieve maximum smash. However if that shaft is forward a few degrees you will notice that the ball strikes the center of the face.

Key Point: Swing as fast as you can while still maintaining solid contact in the middle of the face.

Lateral curve

From an instructional standpoint this area of numbers is where I spend most of my time when working with a student. The big players here are a person's club path and his face angle in relation to that path that will determine where his golf ball ends up flying towards his target or finishes left or right.

Ideal here a fairly decent range. ​This is also where "ideal" comes into play most often. Most golfers strive to hit draws for some reason. Yeah they provide the potential to hit the golf ball a little further which can benefit a lot of golfers. Below is a chart with general ratios of of how the face should be oriented to the club path in order to get a golf ball to end up as close as possible to your target. You'll notice that as a club loses loft the face angle has a bigger influence on where the ball ends up. This is also due to increased ball speed. There are other factors that play into these ratios, like swing plane, attack angle and swing direction, but they are a good starting point for most. Note that these are ratios and work for both draws and fades and work in opposite directions. For example if your path is to the right you need a Face-to-Path to the left.

Club

Club Path

Face-to-Path

PW

1.3

1

6-iron

2

1

Driver

2.3

1

Below are graphics of shots hit with a pitching wedge, 6 iron and driver that ended up pretty close to the target line.

Key Point: Determine a shot shape you desire to play and work towards getting the appropriate ratio of path and face angle. Not everyone needs to hit draws and hitting it straight is very hard!

Launch conditions

How a player launches the ball tells a story of how he/she is delivering the club into impact. The consistency of a players attack angle and club path are two of the biggest factors I see that differentiate a good player from an average one. Due to a good player delivering the club consistently they are consistently hitting a similar shot pattern through a similar apex window.

The big thing that happens when you launch the ball consistently is you are better able to control your distance. In a lot of golfers that I work with I see much greater variability in a players distance control then I see in misses left-to-right.

So what influences launch?

The biggest influence on launch is what TrackMan calls Dynamic Loft.

Dyanmic Loft: The amount of loft on the club face at impact. The golfer’s attack angle, how the shaft bends, how the golfer releases the club head, whether the club face is open or closed to the club path, and where the ball makes contact on the club face can all impact the dynamic loft.

Typically what we look for in Dynamic Loft with irons is a number that is a little less the static loft of the club - Attack Angle. For example the numbers below are from some 8-irons I hit. The static loft of my 8 iron is 36 degrees, subtract 6.5 for a negative attack angle, and you are left with 29.5. My path being in-to-out with a closed face and a forward shaft lean account for the remaining 7 degree difference between that number and my average Dynamic Loft of 22.4 degrees.

Even golfers that fade the golf ball (open face-to-path) should ideally have a lower Dynamic Loft then Static Loft - Attack Angle.

Golfers that have a Dynamic Loft equal to or greater than Static Loft - Attack Angle likely have a poor impact position. This situation tells a story of having minimal if any forward shaft lean at impact. There is likely a casting type action on the downswing which will reduce the ball speed, overall distance and reduce contact quality. ​

The other side of launching the ball ideally comes into play from a clubfitting standpoint. Golfers today are much more aware of what ideal launch conditions should be on a driver. Launch conditions for irons often get overlooked however. The main number that I advise looking at when it comes to iron launch conditions has very little to do with launch and everything to do with Landing Angle, a number that TrackMan calculates. The ideal range from varies from 50 degrees in the wedges down to 45 degrees in the long irons.

The reason I focus more on the landing angle then the launch angle and spin rates in irons is because different combinations of launch and spin can lead to an optimal landing angle.

With a driver the main thing for the vast majority of golfers is maxing out distance. I like to use the analogy of turning on a garden hose full blast with the goal to spray the water as far as possible. Point it too high or too low and it won't go as far.

The ideal ranges for a players launch and spin have a lot to do with club speed, attack angle and ball speed. Below are a couple graphics that show what ideal ranges would be based on those numbers.

So as you can see, there is no ideal for everyone! Your numbers will vary significantly based on a number of factors. My advice for you is to find a facility or professional that can give you access to TrackMan and knows the data enough to advise you figuring out what ideal is for you currently and what you can potentially work towards.

10 Tips to GO LOW INDOORSembraCe and exploit virtual golf differences

by brian borichevsky

ROK (verb): To excel at a task or challenge; to maximize performance and output.

Don't just play golf... ROK Golf! You may have heard or seen as part of our branding.

But how does someone ROK Virtual Golf?

I am glad you asked as this article is aimed at giving you the formula to do exactly that!

To excel in any contest, you must understand the arena in which the contest will be conducted.

The outdoor golf game is played on an outdoor course and thereby is governed by that construct which includes trees, rocks, long grass, short grass, thick grass, hard ground, soft ground, mud, sand, water, hills, wind, weather and so on.

When playing outdoors, the golfer must deal with these factors as it relates to golf, strategy, the golf swing and the specific golf shot they are about to attempt.

A bush may be hindering your back swing or follow through.

A tree may be in your line and force you to play around it.

Long grass may wrap around the hosel of your club.

You risk losing golf balls and taking severe penalties in deep rough or long grass.

You start the round at 45 degrees and 15 mph winds which change to 70 degrees and calm at the turn making your 7-iron carry 12 yards further because you are warm and your club head speed went up 5 mph.

Variability makes outdoor golf fun and challenging... and also makes it a very different animalthan virtual golf. So how does one master the indoor game?

​Understand the construct, avoid the differences that create risk and exploit the differences that give you an advantage.

Virtual Golf Tip #1 - Understand the Tools and USE THEM

The Difference: The indoor world has tools that do not exist in the outdoor game. Depending on the platform these tools vary but likely include a fly-over, green zoom, green grid, mini-map and on course practice. All things you don't get on the course. Each of these can be used to help you plan your shot and pick the proper club / swing.

The Adjustment: Learn the tools for the platform you are playing on and the edge they give you... and use them. Pretty simple. The mini-map can tell you exactly how far you are to trees, bunkers, hazards along with elevation. The green grid shows you if you are chipping up hill or down hill and what the break may be. When you get lazy and don't use these tools, you will not get the result you want. Use these tools to pick better clubs, lines and formulate a better strategy before you tee off!

Virtual Golf Tip #2 - Understand the Conditions

The Difference: In the real golf world, you must decide the impact of critical variables and apply those to club / shot selection and target. Wind, lie and turf conditions are the main factors outside. Inside, those factors are provided clearly and the hitting surface is always the same. Your lie will give you % power and % spin and wind is clearly displayed and stays fairly constant in most settings. If you know how much the wind impacts your shot (see Tip #7 below) it makes club selection very easy.

The Adjustment: Every shot take care to note the lie and wind, don't get lazy. The wind tends have more impact than you think, and ignoring it leads to a flurry of missed greens or frustration such as "I hit that further".

Virtual Golf Tip #3 - Trees are WORSE in Virtual Golf... Avoid Them!

The Difference: In virtual golf trees are much more dangerous than in real golf. Why? In real golf you can see the trees and have a good understanding if you can get around / through the obstruction or not. In virtual golf, you can see a representation of a tree but you don't know if it is "exactly" where it shows on the screen. Many times you will hit a good "safe" punch that will violently ricochet and get you deeper in trouble or think you hit the perfect bender around a tree only to have it hit and fall short. Unfortunately there is no real cure for this in the virtual golf world. The gaming engines will never handle this perfectly. But embrace that flaw, don't fight it! The game can't make the trees hollow, so they must have a "density" and randomize a reaction when you hit one. This lack of predictability makes trees dangerous and thereby it will always be a increased risk in the virtual world. So how do we deal with that?

The Adjustment: Applying simple logic... avoid the trees! Trees in virtual golf can be a one or two shot penalty so modify your shot strategy to avoid trees by changing your target or hitting clubs you know you can get on target. When you play courses with big or thick trees (Innisbrook, Bethesda, Muirfield, Sedgefield, etc.) you must plan out your shot and try to avoid the trees. If you do get in the trees, but your hero costume aside and take your medicine.

Tip #4 - Flat Bunkers = Fairway

​The Difference: In virtual golf you obviously do not have to hit out sand; something that vexes the vast majority of golfers. Pros don't mind sand at all, because they strike the ball solidly 99.9% of the time making fairway bunkers no problem (even preferred sometimes) and they would much rather to be in a perfectly raked green side bunker than rough. Note: If the majority of golfers had the same bunker conditions as the pros... we would likely not be as vexed but alas... we have to deal with the people who leave footprints and don't rake.The penalty in virtual golf for sand is usually minor but always a basic adjustment to spin and power, something easily managed if you pay attention. The penalty for fairway bunkers is almost zero making them fairways in essence.

The Adjustment: Don't fear flat bunkers, but avoid pot bunkers like the plague (more on that later). Flat bunkers are not a problem at all in virtual golf and often better than the rough or deep rough around them. Occasionally you get a "plugged" lie when you fly a ball directly into a bunker but that is rare in fairways and manageable around the greens. Do not worry if you have flat bunkers in your target area never bring trees or hazards into play to avoid benign bunkers. The only issue with bunkers is the catching the lip which leads into our next tip...

Tip #5 - Avoid Pot Bunkers at ALL COSTS

The Difference: There isn't really one. Pot bunkers are devastating in real golf and they are devastating in virtual golf.

The Adjustment: Take advantage of the virtual golf environment to know exactly where they are so you can avoid them. In virtual golf it is easier to see the hole you are playing with the fly over and mini-map. USE THOSE TOOLS! The mini map shows exactly where the pot bunkers are so club accordingly to avoid them. To do this, you must know how far your clubs go (see Tip #7). The long fescue or bushes are far better than a pot bunker which is often a 2 shot penalty (1 when you try to get it out and fail, then the second to play out backwards like you should have done the first time). Lastly, practice your flop shots in on-course practice so you know when you can, and cannot get out of a pot bunker (it comes in handy other times as well).

Tip #6 - Don't Fear The Long Grass

The Difference: Huge. Long grass is big trouble on a real golf course. Areas with long grass have a nasty habit of making golf balls disappear (remember... no lost balls in virtual golf) and if you are lucky enough to find your ball it is very difficult to hit a shot out of the long grass as it wraps around your shaft during your swing. For these reasons, long grass is one of the most dangerous areas on a real golf course... but not in virtual golf!

The Adjustment: Long grass in virtual gives you a benign power and spin deduction. No lost balls, no "swing and a miss", no grass wrapping around your club. Therefore, play away from dangerous virtual golf areas (pot bunkers, trees, hazards, OB) and error to the side of the long grass. Sometimes, the long grass can even give you a better angle at pins or give you a landing area to get closer to the green which gives you a better chance to score. Long grass one of the major "unrealistic" aspects of indoor golf but instead of complaining about it... exploit it and go low!

Tip #7 - Know Your Numbers with On-Course Practice

The Difference: This more than any other tip, will have the greatest impact to your virtual game. When you warm up before a outdoor round you are preparing in one condition. One wind direction and one temperature. Unless you are a PGA Tour Pro or belong to a very nice country club, you are also warming up with golf balls that are NOT close to what you will play during your round. Virtual Golf On Course practice enables you to warm up in the exact conditions of your entire round... take advantage of that to get dialed-in. You can't have good numbers if you don't know your numbers! ​The Adjustment: Before you play a round use this process to get dialed in with on-course practice.

Write the course, settings and your clubs on the top of the form.

Load the course with the green / fairway and wind settings for your round (Trackman most wind settings vary the wind by 4-6 mph in typical settings). Set the wind to the average wind power for that setting.

Find a flat level fairway and place the ball so you have a good 220 yards or more.

Hit all you even irons, downwind and record the carry, total and club head speed (when landing on green for mid and low irons, fairway for long irons) when you make a good swing.

Hit all your wedges into the green and record carry / total / club head speed.

Go to the tee

Hit your woods downwind and record carry / total / club head speed.

Flip the wind around so you are dead into it.

Hit all your woods against the wind and record carry / total / club head speed.

Move back to fairway.

Hit all your odd irons against the wind and record the carry / total / club head speed.

Hit all your wedgesagainst the wind into the green and record carry / total / club head speed.

Why record club head speed? So next time you play this course, you have this data saved and can reference it to see. If you club head speeds are the same, you can use the sheet as is, if they are higher or lower you can make minor adjustments.

This process should take about 10 minutes.

You can get as detailed as you want in this exercise (hit some cross wind, vary tee height to maximize driver distance, practice different elevations, etc), but the concept is the same... get your numbers.

Everyone complains that the "yardages are different than when I play 'real' golf". Which is silly because every time they play outside their numbers are different whether they acknowledge that or not and no one knows exactly what the wind will do, not even pros. In virtual golf, you can know... so take advantage of that! Remember... it is not about the numbers being the same as outside, it is knowing what the numbers are wherever you are playing.

Tip #8 - Get Comfortable Chipping

The Difference: Substantial... sort of. Chipping is likely the most difficult adjustment to the indoor golf arena. However, once you figure it out, chipping inside is easy and helps your outdoor game. Most golfers have no idea how far they are hitting chips and how much "power" went into that shot whereas inside, those numbers are critical. Outside most amateurs are not using distances around the greens, they are using "feel" which is possible on the course but difficult inside. Ask yourself, how often to you shoot the flag with a chip or shot inside of 50 yards? Likely... rarely. And if you were given a test of how far you were from pins... you would not do well. The first indoor chip a new player hits usually goes 2 or 3 times further than they want... and is then usually followed by a "no way". Bad news, it is much more accurate than you think.

The Similarity: There is some. Just like real golf you must hit "feel" shots in virtual golf when you are presented with a difficult chip such chipping up a steep face / front to an elevated green, chipping to a tight downhill pin or chipping over a ridge. Just like real golf, you must understand what the slope is where you want the ball to land and how it will react. And just like real golf, the only way to get good at this is to is practice.

The Adjustment: Stock flat chips inside are about the numbers (distance, elevation, club speed) and repeating the same swing. Basic flat chips indoors are very mechanical and formula based. Eventually you will get up and down 95% of the time on "basic" chips inside of 60' and start holing out 30% in the 15' - 25' range. Eventually, you will root for the ball to get into the fringe so you have a chance at the chip in vs. an auto 2-putt. My advice for standard chips is to use the same club (I use a 54 degree wedge) and same setup / swing to produce a consistent trajectory. Then use the screen as a guide. If you land the ball 2' in-front of the screen, how far does it roll out, if you land it at the screen, if you land it 1' up on the screen, and so on. Get dialed in for 20', 30', 40', 50' and 60'. That covers the majority of chips you will hit. Make adjustments for hitting chips up or down hill, in different stimps, etc. and you will shave tons of strokes off your score!

Tip #9 - Know Where to Miss

The Difference: None really. Elite golfers, aided by their caddie, know where to miss and where not to miss. Put in the work to know what shots in virtual golf are extremely difficult and don't put yourself in those positions.

The Adjustment: This ties into other tips above. Use the tools available (mini-map and fly-over) to plan your shots and avoid danger. Just like real golf, the more you play a course the more you will learn on where the difficult areas are and start to naturally avoid them.

Tip #10 - Good Numbers = Birdies

The Difference: Again, not much. This is one area where virtual golf can really impact your green grass game. In virtual golf if you follow the above plan you will know your numbers and very quickly realize that it is easier to get the ball in the magic 10' circle with comfortable distances than it is with uncomfortable shorter numbers. Just like real golf, 30 - 70 yard shots are very tricky for most golfers. In virtual golf, those shots are even harder. You will have tighter groups from 90 yards than 50 yards with more control. Use that and do not always bang it as close as possible.

The Adjustment: Not much except to use the tools available and the methods above to put yourself in scoring positions with scoring clubs. Spend time in the on-course practice mode and really work on your wedge game. In the indoor world, you can get tons of wedge practice in a short time... take advantage of that.

Indoor virtual golf is not the same as playing outside and understanding the differences is the key to being successful inside. To shoot a good number inside or out you must be able to execute the shots. A bad swing inside gives you a bad result. Rarely inside do you get a birdie through luck.

Inside or out, getting the ball inside that 10' circle is difficult. Since you never get to drop a 25' bomb inside, you MUST be a sharp with your scoring irons. Likewise, because you never miss a 8' putt or 3' from 40'... you should score better inside.

​Take advantage of the tips above and you will start seeing a huge difference in the indoor game.

supplementing not replacingwhat indoor golf brings to the golf world

Brian Borichevsky

Recently golf digest added a post on Instagram (here) highlighting the popularity of "screen golf" in S. Korea. The comments had an overarching negativity that was surprising. Paraphrasing a few:

Virtual golf is not 'real' golf.

Virtual golf cannot replace 'real' golf.

Who would ever play this over going to the course.

Stop trying to promote this futuristic stuff, leave it be.

Side Note: I couldn't help but imagine what if the attitude in the last comment was applied to... say... flight simulators which have helped thousands of pilots practice and train safely improving their overall skills so that we, the passengers, are in good hands when something goes wrong in the air. Thinking more about this comparison, there are many parallels between virtual golf and flight simulators... I will have to write a blog on that later!

Being a new business owner in the indoor golf industry I was alarmed, shocked and vexed by the animus expressed in the comments on the Golf Digest post.

I did provide my own reply, however finding a comment in the vast ocean of replies on an Instagram post is near impossible (and a flaw in the Instagram model in my opinion). So here is my comment (with a few grammatical corrections):​

​rokgolf: Indoor golf is not, and never will be a replacement for outdoor golf. However, indoor golf can offer opportunities outdoor golf simply cannot. At ROK Golf we have customers play 36 holes at lunch, play 4 rounds in 3 hours, experiment with fun 2 or 3-club challenges on different course setups, play St. Andrew's and Muirfield Village in the same day; all in rain or shine, night or day, hot or cold. Indoor golf also presents incredible opportunity for instructors to expand their capacity by removing weather, light and location barriers. The modern golfer has a difficult time finding 6 hours to play a full outdoor round and generally does not enjoy going out of their way to make it to a range only to hit crappy golf balls in variable conditions. Indoor golf provides a platform to play more golf, more frequently, in smaller more manageable chunks of time, with superior technology.

If given the opportunity to respond en mas to those who posted negative comments similar to "Virtual Golf will never replace 'real' golf" I would say

"I agree!" or "You are absolutely correct!"

I would then ask... "But, who says virtual golf is trying to be, or replace, 'real' golf?"

To the others that questioned why anyone would play virtual golf, I would simply ask "Have you tried it?"

My guess would be that those in the "why would you ever play indoor golf" camp have never practiced in a quality indoor facility and almost certainly have never played a virtual round on one of the elite indoor simulators such as Trackman's new Virtual Golf released in April 2018.

Yes, playing golf on a outdoor course is different than playing on a simulator indoors.

Yes, practicing golf outdoor on a range is different that practicing indoors on simulator.

But... being different does not make one better or worse. Each has benefits and drawbacks.

The golf community should, and will, be excited about the growth of the indoor golf industry as they gain understanding and experience with the indoor game.

When players embrace and exploit the advantages of indoor, instead of being frustrated that it is not outdoor, they will start to see why this industry is only getting bigger and more popular because indoor golf is a great way for golfers to get BETTER and HAVE FUN!

So what are some of the advantages of indoor golf?

Time - With indoor golf, 15 minutes is all you need to have a valuable session and keep the edge sharp. Experienced indoor players can play 18 holes in 30 minutes. The minimal time to play makes playing fun and valuable challenges like "play 18 holes with only 3 clubs" more practical.

Weather - It is always 70 degrees and perfect inside. No frost delay's, no 90 degree rule, no cart path only, no range being closed, no struggling to swing when you are freezing cold, no getting burnt to a crisp and almost passing out from heat stroke in a humid 100 degree August day. This also means you can play 18 and not get incredibly sweaty. 18 at lunch anyone?

Daylight - Not a problem inside. Get out of the office late... no problem. Don't worry about running out of light on 16 or figuring out how to get 18 in before lunch in the summer. Indoor golf expandes the window in which golfers can play or practice which promotes more golf!

Feedback / Data - Likely the biggest advantage inside... every swing provides you data and answers to confirm the good and highlight the bad. At ROK Golf our Trackman launch monitors provide what we like to call the "unvarnished truth" about a swing. This is the information that golfers need to improve. Metrics such as swing path, face-to-path, spin axis, spin loft, etc. along with powerful videos give you reality. It is one thing to "feel" something in your swing, it is incredibly more powerful to have those "feels" backed by data.

** Yes, you can get this feedback outside if you are fortunate enough to own launch monitor or can afford a lesson with a pro who has one... but that is the minority of golfers.

Variety - In the 'real' golf world it is very hard to play Muirfield Village in Ohio and then go right over and tee it up at St. Andrews in Scotland. Or play a course in soft wet calm conditions and then turn around and play it is hard dry windy conditions to compare. You cannot move back and forth from the range to the course or move around on the course and hit the same shot over and over at a green grass facility (the other players will not be happy as you drop 15 balls in the middle of the fairway to practice a specific shot).

Environmental Control - A scientific experiment requires a control. A baseline set of data collected in known conditions to which other data with altered variables can be compared. "How long do you hit your 7-Iron?" I purposely ask my customers. The reply is almost some yardage. "About 170" they will say. Then I will ask "Carry or total? Hitting into a hard fairway or soft green? Is that hitting to a target at the same elevation or up/down hill? Is that when it is 100 degrees or 50 degrees? Is that down wind or into the wind? Was your lie flat or on a hill?" Each condition is a variable that changes how far you will hit a ball. So do you really know? Outside, those variables change and make it impossible to know your numbers. Inside they are all constant. This allows you to truly work off of a solid baseline of data collected in a controlled environment.

Equipment / Conditions Control: Did that ball go right b/c of my swing, or the wind, or was there a chunk of mud on the ball? When you go to a typical range... what kind of golf balls do you hit? Beat up, cut almost smooth rock hard practice balls frequently covered in sand / dirt. How do they compare to your ProV1's or TP5's? How about the turf conditions on the range... are they just like the fairways on the course? If you are confined to the mats... how are they? At ROK Golf you play with your preferred balls, your clubs, in the same exact conditions enabling you to focus on the details of your swing and truly compare any changes.

We will be posting more blogs that deep dive into each of these areas and more, but this hopefully gives you the idea.